Canadian authorities have officially launched the extradition process to the US for Huawei’s chief financial officer.

But Meng has also begun legal action and is now suing Canada over her arrest, claiming ‘serious breaches’ of her civil rights.

She was apprehended in December at Vancouver airport on suspicion of fraud and breaching US sanctions on Iran.

A date for an extradition hearing will be set. If a judge approves extradition, Canada’s Justice Minister David Lametti would then be called upon to decide whether to surrender her to the U.S . before other legal options then open up.

“Even if the minister says we can go forward, there is still the Judicial appeals that could be had, to the BC court of appeal and in fact to the supreme court,” said Wesley Wark of the University of Ottawa. “A court of appeal could take a number of years on this, the supreme court would have to decide whether to allow a further appeal on this and could take its own time to reach a decision.”

There are also wider political concerns.

Relations between Canada and China have been somewhat strained since the arrest of Meng Wanzhou.

And there will be a concern that those tensions could continue for some time to come.

“I think the fear is, in the depth of winter, there will be an escalation,” said Professor Paul Evans of the University of British Columbia’s School of Public Policy and Global Affairs. “And Canada very much wants to avoid escalation if possible.”

He fears Canada risks being pushed in a direction it may not wish to go.

“Are we being pulled into the vortex of the US Cold War or something like a cold war with China?” Evans said. “How far Canada will take an independent position on these matters that will reflect immediate Canadian national interest as to ‘working with our allies.’ ”